Leaked Verizon Memo About NSA Data Requests Says Almost Nothing

Knowing that The Guardian was going to report that Verizon had been secretly handing customers' data to the government, the telecom giant decided to give "no comment" to the newspaper with the bombshell scoop. It turns out that the Verizon is playing its cards so close to its chest, it won't even confirm nor deny anything to its own employees.

The statement to employees managed to comment on the Guardian story... while not really commenting at all. The company assures workers that it would comply with and keep secret such a court order, if given one. But it won't say if it had gotten one.

You may have seen stories in the news about a top secret order Verizon allegedly received to produce certain calling information to the U.S. government.

We have no comment on the accuracy of The Guardian newspaper story or the documents referenced, but a few items in these stories are important. The alleged court order that The Guardian published on its website contains language that:

compels Verizon to respond;

forbids Verizon from revealing the order’s existence; and

excludes from production the “content of any communication … or the name, address, or financial information of a subscriber or customer.”

Verizon continually takes steps to safeguard its customers’ privacy. Nevertheless, the law authorizes the federal courts to order a company to provide information in certain circumstances, and if Verizon were to receive such an order, we would be required to comply.

<a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363526,00.asp" target="_blank">PCMag</a> recommends using another phone to text your lost phone with a message offering a reward for the device, and you can always try calling it as well. If you don't have a phone handy, you can use a service like Skype, Google Voice or <a href="http://www.fonefindr.com/" target="_blank">fonefindr.com</a> to ping your phone. It can't hurt -- someone may have found your phone or maybe you'll find hear it ringing between the couch cushions.